India To Become Aerospace Powerhouse?

jaydub99 writes: "It looks like India will continue to explore new markets for their low-cost, high-tech people. Their next arena could be deploying satellites in high-earth (geostationary) orbit. I wonder how much of the resistance from the U.S. is military-based and how much is economically motivated?"

Comments

Hmm..

[Anonymous Coward]

Does this mean they'll be assuming responsibility for the 7-11 module on the International Space Station?

California Spending money

[cpeterso]

As much as I like to see people putting more energy into the exploration and exploitation of space, doesn't California have a lot of infrastructure to work toward building up before worrying about the cosmos? They've just had an earthquake that killed thousands and thousands of people. How many of those people could have been saved by importing American building standards and restrictions and adding more support to the current buildings?

It just seems that California has constant problems with nature as well as their difficulty in even maintaining basic power for their population makes me wary that they may best be spending their money elsewhere.

possible reasons

[boarder]

One main reason the US (and others) may have a problem with this is that the communications bands in Geosync are already extremely clogged. You can look at a picture of the satellites up there and see that there just isn't much more room up there. Not that we have exclusive rights to it or anything, but maybe India isn't willing to cooperate with existing regulatory agencies.

I'm not saying India is right or wrong or that our policies are, either; I just think that this is a major problem nowadays. Everyone wants the easy solution in geosync, instead of going with arrays. Of course, room in space wouldn't be as much of a problem if companies would just de-orbit their spacecraft after their designed life cycle (or when they are no longer useful, whichever is first).

Other than maybe this reason of non-cooperation, I can't think of any other valid reason we should get upset with them finally joining the space industry. I would love to go over there and work if I got a typical US salary. Good food... mmmm...

thank you too

[fluxrad]

if you look for racism and bigotry with too much vigor, you will find it everywhere.

thanks for contributing to a world so PC, we're not even allowed to laugh at ourselves.


FluX
After 16 years, MTV has finally completed its deevolution into the shiny things network

darn Orson Scott Card Books... and missile defense

[namespan]

Ever since I read Shadow of the Hegemon reviewed here on slashdot, it's been hard for me not to see the world as a giant Risk game waiting to happen
-- and America, mighty as some of us are used to thinking of it -- not quite as powerful relative to some other nations as we think. Articles (and posts) like this one keep bringing that thought back.

What I've wondered about, tho', as far as missile defense systems go, is why the United States doesn't simply develop the system and offer to share the technology. Alleviates politcal pressure, solves the "rogue state" problem that's our ostensible reaspon for developin it, and makes us all safer from nukes.

Yeah, I know, it's really quite a naive idea. But I thought I'd mention it.

--

Re:India Spending money

[peacelife]

And yes yes, I realize that these claims might also be applicable to the United States, that we could best be spending the space money elsewhere, but at least we're theoretically on the cutting edge...

I dont see your point. Do you mean to say that if a country is not on the cutting edge, it shouldn't start?

When a society invests in science and technology it invests in its own future. India has been successful in using its satellites for long distance education, storm relief, weather forecasting, and resource mapping. I think this is commendable.

The common attitude here seems to be, "How dare India invest in sci & tech when it isn't half as perfect as the US? Meanwhile, make way there for Uncle Sam to continue to rape nature"

Stran9er days

[stigmatic]

Washington has, over the years, restricted access to technology that might have military applications and slapped significant sanctions on India after its nuclear tests in 1998.

How typical of our country (USA), to place restrictions on others. Cuba, India, Iraq, etc., surely I can see some reasons for our countries motivations (terrorism), but if our politicians and enforcement agencies got it together they could save possibly billions farming out launches to India.

Who knows maybe they won't be so unfortunate to lose "their" rockets when they send them to Mars. Its a nice thought to hear about space exploration, satellites, and how it can improve our lives in the long run however, its sad to see buearucrats feel the need to flaunt their political muscles for nonsense at times.

Re:No conflict

[Wyatt Earp]

The US developed and droped nuclear weapons because of a things called the Second World War. Might want to look that up. And remeber that dropping the Bomb saved lives there.

The US, UK, China, Soviet Union, France, South Africa, Israel, and India have all done above ground testing. Not just the US.

The US had an Arms Race with the Soviet Union...you can't race by yourself. French and Brits did pretty good there too. Let's not forget that Pakistan and India have also had a nice little arms race too. Again...not just the US.

India has been launching satilites for years...since the 70s...this is nothing new. But it's not really far to do a US-Bash here.

India Spending money

[DoorFrame]

As much as I like to see people putting more energy into the exploration and exploitation of space, doesn't India have a lot of infrastructure to work toward building up before worrying about the cosmos? They've just had an earthquake that killed thousands and thousands of people. How many of those people could have been saved by importing American building standards and restrictions and adding more support to the current buildings?

It just seems that a country that has constant problems with nature as well as their difficulty in even maintaining basic power for their population makes me wary that they may best be spending their money elsewhere.

And yes yes, I realize that these claims might also be applicable to the United States, that we could best be spending the space money elsewhere, but at least we're theoretically on the cutting edge and any of our space development leads into new territory, whereas India is merely exploring territory that is twenty or even thirty years old.

Do with this what you will.

Re:India Spending money

[MaximusTheGreat]

Its's not that there are no building standards. Infact BIS(Beauru of India Standards) has pretty good standards. But, the problem is one of corruption due to which they are not enforced.
Same goes for the power. It's the rampant stealing of the power which is causing problems.

As, for doing things which are 20-30 years old. The reason is that because of geographical advantage(launch sites near the equator) and cheap research and labour cost they can do it at 1/2 the cost if not lower. They have to launch lots of communication setallites(Important for infrastructure) and remote sensing satellites(important for agriculture). So, you see in the end they save money and not spend it.

Besides, this creates ancillary industries which creatres jobs and saves precious foriegn exchange. So, the money spent on these launches benefits Indian economy instead of some developed country.

So, the short answer is that it actually costs less in the long term for India to develop these capabilities then to pay high prices for them to some other country.

By the way the lower costs is the primary reason that US opposes Indian developing such capability not military applications which are a different ball game. After all US needs to protect it's launching market. Thuough IMHO India will not have enough capacity to take away more then a small but significant share of the launch market. It takes some time to develop that king of manufacturing capacity(note-- not capability)

Ironicy

[stigmatic]

The Pentagon's Ballistic Missile Defense Organization also is planning another attempt to shoot down a mock nuclear missile in space, probably in May or June, using the same technologies that produced a spectacular failure last July, the officials said. Two of the last three attempted missile intercepts failed.

Could it be officials here are disturbed because India could jeapordize the US' intentions of getting their Star Wars program back on the map?

The officials, speaking on condition they not be identified, said test preparations are going ahead in the absence of orders to the contrary from Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

So Mr. Rumsfeld has himself denounced this but they are still going ahead with it.

Rumsfeld has been briefed in recent days by Ronald Kadish, the Air Force general who runs the missile defense project office.

Aside from the technical issues yet to be resolved, Russian and Chinese officials offered reminders Tuesday that whatever the design of a U.S. national missile defense, it will be controversial.

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi warned that American missile defense "will have a far-reaching and extensive negative impact on the global and regional strategic balance and stability."

In Moscow, Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev asserted that a U.S. missile defense could easily be defeated by technologies the former Soviet Union developed in the 1980s in response to President Reagan's Star Wars plan that was a more ambitious attempt to defend against all-out missile attacks.

"We had three mighty programs to asymmetrically counteract U.S. national missile defenses during Reagan's 'Star Wars,"' Sergeyev was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. He gave no details. Although the programs were halted, "We still have them and can take them up again," he said.

Just think about that for a second. Russia which has in reality little leadership, they'd have nothing to lose. See: Electro Magnetic Pulse. Russians have been using it for some time on a very low key basis.

At a European security conference in Germany last Saturday, Rumsfeld said President Bush intends to deploy a national missile defense. But first Rumsfeld is reviewing the status of the project the Bush administration inherited from the Clinton administration and is considering how to fulfill Bush's pledge to provide a missile shield that would cover not only the United States but also its allies.

This is a sham in order to make those who disapprove to think the US would actually give a rats ass in the event of a nuclear war. Its a way for politicians to waste tax dollars in order to get kickbacks. Old old old news.

I could go on but its redundant isn't it ;)

Oh well here are some hot chicks aren't you glad you read the whole thing through?